Snap
by Haitus80
Summary: Everyone has their breaking point and Carol has finally reached hers. With a storm raging around her, and inside her mind, she bolts from the safety of Alexandria, unaware that she is being watched. The watcher is Daryl Dixon, the one person with the skill to find her. But what he finds isn't the woman that he thought he knew, and he is terrified. Bringing her back to Alexandria wo
1. Chapter 1

**This is a two chapter story and the next one is already finished so no wait. This is my entry for a writing challenge over on Ninelives. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow. Hope you enjoy it and thank you all for reading!**

 **Chapter One**

She didn't know why she did it.

One minute she was out on the back porch, beating the dust out of one of the kitchen rugs. She had felt calm. She had felt just fine. But then she had stopped her savage rug beating and she had stood there gazing out at the rain, almost hypnotized by the sight of it, almost like she had never seen it before in her life. It wasn't just the sight of it coming down like silvered Christmas tinsel, it was the sound of it. The way each individual drop was joined by a million others to create the sound of smooth chaos overhead on the roof.

She closed her eyes and realized that it was a sound she was very familiar with. It was so similar to the sound that had been inside of her own head since the moment they settled here.

Chaos.

A million voices like a million raindrops, pouring over her mind. But in her head, that sound felt tainted. Out here, the sound of the rain had a cleansing ring to it. It sounded clean. It looked clean. It even smelled clean. If she were to step out into the deluge, she knew, it would _feel_ clean too.

Could the rain wash the blood away? All the blood that seemed to always be on her hands even though she knew, logically, that she was the only one that knew it was there?

She opened her eyes and breathed in so deeply that her lungs couldn't take in anymore. She was startled to realize that she was standing in the middle of the yard. She tilted her face up, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Then she ran. The urge slamming into her out of nowhere.

The mud sucked at the soles of her shoes but she barely noticed. She ran without thinking, the rain pouring over her. She slammed into the fence, her fingers threading through the links and she clawed her way to the top. She didn't flinch when the exposed metal tore into her forearms and she didn't take the time to climb back down the other side. She dropped, landing on the balls of her feet in a crouch before she pushed away from the ground, fleeing like there was a herd on her heels.

As soon as she hit the shadows of the trees she ripped the buttons from her shirt and shrugged out of it, her feet still pounding out a rhythm on the ground. She let it slip from her shoulders as she weaved through the trees, leaving her in nothing but a soaked camisole, but still she ran.

If she ran into any walkers, she was dead. But hadn't she been dead behind those walls anyway? Her heart had been beating and she still drew breaths, in and out, but she hadn't been alive. She hadn't felt alive in so long. But out here, she could taste the rain on her lips. She could feel the expanse of the wilderness around her and her heart soared wildly in her chest at the freedom she felt just then.

Out here she didn't have to be anything at all. And if it killed her, then she'd die gladly. She would die free. She hadn't bothered speaking to God in a very long time and out here she didn't have to speak to him. This wildness was it's own religion.

She stopped abruptly and dropped to her knees. Her hands ran through her hair and then she laughed, feeling as open as the world around her... Like she'd been a caged animal that finally realized that the locks were all in her head. She stood up and took off again like a shot through the trees.

~H~

Daryl hadn't been back for very long and he was ready to get out of his soaked clothes and just take a minute to breath. But of course that wasn't something he was going to be able to do just yet. As soon as he had walked through the gates, eager to get to the house for once since they got here, he was directed to go to the church and talk to Rick and Dianna.

He stomped up the steps, ready to get this over with. He found them standing in front of one of the windows in the tower, talking in low voices. Neither looked happy about whatever they were discussing and when he cleared his throat their eyes came up, meeting his before they looked at each other once more and continued on with their discussion. Daryl leaned against the wall, arms crossed, waiting for them to get to whatever topic had called for him to have to rush up here as soon as he got back.

Movement down below caught his attention and he squinted to try to make out what he was seeing through the downpour.

There was someone running, cutting through the backyards of the houses on their street. Without knowing why he felt his heart plummet to his feet. He stepped between Rick and Dianna, shouldering them out of his way roughly.

No. He had to have been seeing things.

But it was her. Carol was running like the hounds of hell were on her tail. His joints seemed to lock up and he _felt_ the distance she covered as she raced away, moving further from their house and closer to the fence. He expected her to stop. Stopping was the logical thing to do when an obstacle was placed in your path but stopping wasn't something she was planning on doing.

She threw herself into the fence and then started moving up the side faster than he thought possible. The hair on the back of his neck stood up when he saw her drop to the other side, pause for a fraction of a second as she crouched there, and then she sprinted for the trees.

He nearly knocked Rick on his ass as he shoved the man out of his way. He fell down part of the stairs but that didn't seem to register to him. He could have taken the path she had but it would be easier to go out the front. He was screaming for someone to open the gate before he was near it and whoever was up there must have known something was happening because he was able to slip right through the small gap without stopping.

He pushed his legs harder and for once in his life he cursed the weight of the bow strapped to his back.

What the fuck did she think she was doing? He was gone more often than not but when he was back she hadn't seemed very off. He hated her new housewife get up but he understood what she was doing. He knew that behind the mask she was still in there. Still the same woman that he had grown to care about so deeply.

But something had been wrong and he hadn't seen it. Hadn't given her much thought at all as he watched her play that role here.

He made his way around and was pretty certain where she had entered the woods. The woods that could hide so many fucking dangers. The trees felt like they swallowed him up and he had the strange sensation that once they spit him back out, he would be a different man than he was when he stepped through the darkness.

He scanned the forest floor, frantically looking for her trail before the rain that was seeping down through the canopy above him could wash away any trace of her. His breath exploded from his lungs once he saw the slight indention her shoe had left in the bracken underfoot.

He had hoped that she would have slowed once she was behind the tree line but she hadn't. Her stride was long and he knew she had kept up her pace despite the trees. He cursed and then took off again in search of this insane woman.

This could be the end.

The thought had him charging even faster, barely picking up on her trail anymore, letting something else take lead, some place in his mind that seemed reserved just for her. He trusted it. It had led him right to her before once he realized it was there.

He skidded to a stop and stared down at his feet, his heart throbbing painfully as his lungs sucked in much needed oxygen. Her shirt was lying there, right at his feet. He knelt down and picked it up, his grip strong but his hand shaking. Shaking until he realized that it was still warm. He spun in a slow circle, his eyes scanning everything but still there was no break in her trail. She'd still been running when she had shed the shirt.

He dropped the garment and then took off again, his breathing loud and ragged as he blinked the heavy rain out of his eyes. If she ran into danger out here she would be nothing but a smear by the time he found her. She hadn't looked like she'd taken a weapon with her. Not one big enough to make much difference if a herd happened along.

He dodged a sapling, his legs burning, and finally he caught a glimpse of her. She was standing with her back to him, her face tilted up to the sky and her fingers laced at the back of her head. She wasn't doing anything but standing there, her shoulders moving with her rapid breathing.

Now that he knew that she was alive he let that hot anger wash through him, but it was dampened by more than a little worry. What the fuck could have happened to cause this? Why in the fuck would she scale the fence and rush off into the fucking woods with no weapon? Had she finally figured out that she couldn't keep pretending like she was perfectly okay? Because none of them were. None of them.

He was quiet as he came up behind her but somehow she sensed someone there and she spun around dropping her arms to her sides. Her blue eyes were wide and much too bright. Her chest heaved and his eyes raked down, the thin material had probably once been white but now it was the same shade as her skin. Every bit of her was on display right there in front of him and he was having a lot of trouble not looking at her breasts.

Before he could open his mouth to speak she took a step back. His eyes locked back onto hers and he saw fear there. She looked very much like a wounded animal that was caught in a trap. She didn't want him here and it was obvious but he wasn't about to leave. He wasn't leaving without dragging her back with him because he wanted answers and he wanted her safe.

She spun around then, running once more, like he was some kind of danger to her. He didn't hesitate before he was right on her heels. She didn't get very far this time. She was quick. She was much quicker than he thought she would be but he had a longer stride. His arm snaked around her but she wriggled free with a growl that shocked him and then she was taking off again.

Now he was pissed.

When he caught her again he locked his arm around her tightly, forcing her to stop. She fought. God, did she fight, but she wasn't strong enough to break his hold. He was confused and he was scared to goddamn death and he was pissed off and she wasn't getting away. What the hell was she thinking?

"Do you wanna die out here!" He yelled, locking his other arm around her and hauling her back a few feet.

She froze in his arms then, stopped fighting completely but her body was rigid, like her muscles had cemented. Both of them were fighting for air as the rain poured over them from a gap in the trees. Once he trusted himself to look at her again he spun her around. "Let me go," she wheezed between breaths.

He shook his head. "What happened back there? Why the hell are you out here?" The wild frantic look in her eyes scared the fuck out of him but when her head dipped back and she laughed, it sent a chill down his spine that froze the marrow in his bones. When she looked at him again her eyes were dancing.

"Why are you?" She countered, biting her lip and tilting her head to the side. "Huh? Why are you always out here, Daryl Dixon? What are you trying to find out here? Yourself maybe? God?"

She'd fucking snapped. Under all of that cool composure, something had been breaking in her mind and he wasn't sure what the hell he was doing anymore. "I don't come out here for none of that. I sure as fuck don't come out here unarmed."

She shook her head. "You're a liar. I didn't understand before but I do now. You wanna be free. I want that too. If only for a while, I want to be free and then whatever happens can happen."

"Carol, you gotta snap out of this," he said, not recognizing his own voice.

She jerked free and took a step away from him but didn't turn to run again. She probably knew already that he wouldn't let her get far. "I don't want to go back there," she said, glancing past him.

"To bad," he growled, ready to drag her back kicking and screaming if he had to.

Thunder crashed above them and the wind picked up, causing the treetops to sway. She shook her head. "What are you gonna do, Daryl? Tie me up? You can't make me stay there."

"Whatever the hell is wrong, you'll be alright. Let's go home, okay?" He was willing to plead with her if that's what it would take to get her back behind the walls.

She shook her head and his temper flared again. It was like he was dealing with a child. "You hate me there," she stated flatly. " _I_ hate me there."

He pushed his hair out of his face and shook his head. "That ain't fuckin' true and you know it. What the fuck happened!" He was yelling again.

She shook her head then but she had enough sense about her to follow where his gaze had strayed to, not for the first time. He was ashamed of himself. She was obviously having some sort of mental breakdown but he couldn't ignore how fucking exposed she was.

"Do you want me?" She asked, forcing him to tear his gaze away from her body and meet hers.

"What?" He shook his head and then found himself taking a step back when she took one towards him. "You need to come back with me. Now." He swallowed hard. He wouldn't touch her. He wouldn't touch her while she was in the middle of a fucking episode. He was scared to death that whatever had happened to her was some permanent thing. Like what had happened to others. This world became too much and they snapped.

She laughed again. "I was thinking... this place is like a church, ya know? A person is free out here to be whoever they were meant to be. And this place, this is _your_ place. This is _your_ world. Not back there... Back there they look at you like you're nothing but here, here you're like a God," she took another step towards him and he halted as her gaze ran over him.

"What are you doin'?" He choked when she finally stopped in front of him. At least now she wasn't trying to flee. But what she did next was just as bad. She pushed the bow strap slightly, her eyes darting up and meeting his.

Maybe she just needed the equivalent to a slap in the face. He shoved her away, not as gently as he had meant to because he was having trouble keeping himself under control. She stumbled but caught herself. He dropped the bow and then grabbed her arm, hauling her towards him so hard that she crashed into his chest.

"This what you want," he yelled in her face, gripping her waist hard, making sure it was enough to hurt a little. "You want me to fuck you, Carol?" He spat, anger igniting his blood but he was more angry at himself than he was her. "Want me to use you out here in the rain like you're nothin' but a piece of meat? That what you want me to do?"

She searched his eyes, wincing slightly at the grip he had on her waist but then she cupped his face and yanked it towards hers. Her mouth crashed into his hard enough to split his lip. Jesus Christ what the fuck was he letting her do? Her hands were tearing his shirt open, shoving hard and as soon as her lips parted his tongue swept in, tasting her, the rain and his own blood.

He tore his mouth away from hers, shaking his head, wishing he hadn't tried to call her bluff. Her hands were already ripping his belt away. He hadn't been aware that his shirt and vest were gone until he looked down. Her body was pressed against his, her chest heaving against his as her fingers tried to undo his pants.

No. He couldn't do this here. Goddamn, he wanted to, but he couldn't do that to her. He grabbed her hands, jerking them away from him and then gripping them both as he backed her into a tree. Her back hit hard and then he shoved her hands over her head, locking them there. "We ain't doin' this," he growled.

"I'm fine," she breathed. "I swear I'm fine."

He shook his head and then, like a fucking idiot, he let his eyes fall back to her breasts. He groaned at the sight. It was almost like he could hear them crying out for attention as they strained against the soaked material, his own heaving chest barely scraping against her nipples, causing them to harden even more at the light contact.

"You want to, Daryl. Just do it. Please do it," she pleaded, her eyes more steady than he had seen them since he had found her. "I'm okay now. I swear," she breathed. "I'll go back. I just want you to touch me first."

Maybe she was telling the truth but he didn't want to risk it. He shook his head slowly.

She let her head fall back against the rough bark and her eyes went from pleading to smug in an instant. "You think I can't feel that?" she asked, moving her body against the erection pressing into her abdomen, even though he still had her hands locked above her head.

He felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as he ground his teeth together. How many times had he thought about this? How often had he had to shamefully get himself off in the dark while replaying situations like this in his mind? She'd made him cum in his mind thousands of times.

"You asked me if I wanted you to fuck me. I'm telling you right now that I just want to feel something, okay? I want _you_ to make me feel something." She said and he could see it in her eyes that this was her. This was Carol. Not the babbling psycho from a few minutes ago. "Unless you simply don't want me. And then-" Her voice trailed off when he dropped her hands.

He needed both of his at the moment. He kept her pinned to the tree with his body but when his lips met hers, it wasn't as savage as when she had kissed him. He wasn't exactly gentle because he didn't think she wanted it. She wanted to feel and he was more than equipped to make that happen. His hands trailed up her sides, ghosting over her ribs until he finally reached her breasts. He broke the kiss, dropped his head and took one rigid peak into his mouth, through the thin material covering her.

"Harder," she muttered.

His eyes snapped up and he ignored the rain, blinking it away to keep his vision clear as his teeth sank into her. Her eyes fluttered closed then. His brain was well aware of the dangers around them but his body was only aware of her proximity. All the anger and fear from earlier already had his blood burning but now that all shifted to a new fire inside of him that this storm couldn't put out.

And she was begging him for it.

He tore the button from her pants but he didn't care. He hated those fucking pants. He pushed them down her hips easily and he finally brought his mouth back up to hers. He ripped the knife from his hip and shoved it into her hand without breaking the kiss. She pulled away, her eyes going to the knife in her hand back to his, a frown forming between her brows.

"Keep watch," he said, his voice barely audible now over the storm raging above them. This was so fucking stupid. He could have taken her back and done this but he wouldn't. Instead of offering to reason with her he dropped to his knees, gripped her thighs hard and then buried his face between her legs. She pushed his hair away from his face at the same time he pushed his tongue into her and he looked up in time to her eyes widen and her lips part. The taste of her flooded his mouth and he groaned, forcing his tongue deeper.

 **~H~**

She was okay now. She had lost her mind for a little while. She had panicked. She had fled the safety of Alexandria and she hadn't cared that she was in danger. But now? Now she had her wits about her enough that she felt ashamed of herself for how she had acted.

Until he had shoved the knife into her hands, his eyes dark. She hadn't understood what he wanted and then he'd dropped to his knees in front of her and without a seconds hesitation, she felt his tongue. What little bit of her head she had managed to gain control of slipped once he was teasing her relentlessly. One hand held the hilt of his knife in a white knuckled grip and the other was threaded through his wet hair as she leaned her back into the rough tree bark behind her.

His lips closed over that long ignored bundle of nerves and sucked gently. She stifled down a cry and felt his fingers press painfully into her thighs. She looked down and watched him as he watched her. Her embarrassment from her earlier breakdown was all but forgotten as her knees weakened. Her body wasn't accustomed to the onslaught of pleasure and she almost wanted to push him away, but she didn't. Instead she gripped his hair and held him steady.

Once her body was spent he pulled away, sitting back on his haunches and then yanked her down until she was on her knees in front of him. He grabbed the knife, slamming it down into the wet ground next to her before he wrapped an arm around her, forcing her onto her back. He braced himself with one arm as he worked his pants open. His mouth came down on hers, strangely gentle compared to the swift thrust of his hips as he buried himself inside her.

He growled against her lips and then he started moving. He wasn't gentle with her and she was okay with that. She didn't mind. She told him she wanted to feel something and she was. He raised his head and glanced around but she could tell that he was having a hard time focusing on anything other than her body and it thrilled her. If a walker showed up, they were both dead and at the moment she just couldn't bring herself to care. She had never been filled as completely as she was now and her mind was on nothing but the power of his body as it moved over hers.

He pushed her leg up higher and she bit her lip to keep from crying out again, but it was hard. He was moving faster, almost punishing, pushing her into the damp earth under her. His hands roamed, over her and when his lips weren't on hers, licking away the sting his teeth would leave, his eyes followed suit, taking her in like he was seeing her for the first time.

And maybe he was.

She felt the pressure building much faster than she ever thought possible. She gripped his arms hard and then her back was arching against him. He drove into her even harder and she almost screamed when that first wave crashed over her, leaving her stunned and gasping for breath. He was tensing above her and when he dropped his forehead down to hers she felt that hot throb inside her as he moved. It only intensified her pleasure and her shoulders pressed further into the leaves under her. His teeth sank lightly into her throat as his body slowed and then finally stopped.

He kissed her one more time before he was slipping away, sitting back on his haunches as he righted his pants and reached for the belt she had torn from him. She sat up, bracing herself with her arms and closed her legs.

He reached for his shirt so she followed suit, grabbing the pants he'd basically ruined, shoving her legs through them and standing up quickly. She refused to think about what she must have looked like when he had found her. She had been raving like a lunatic, rambling about nonsense. She'd seen the fear in his eyes. Fear for her and she felt so stupid that she could have wept. But she didn't. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest, wondering if this was a one time occurrence or if she was simply losing her mind and would eventually never be okay again.

He looked up then and met her eyes as he pushed himself up off the ground. She wasn't sure what he saw there but he glanced at his hands and then held out his vest. She felt color rising in her cheeks when she realized that now she felt like it was the time to be modest.

She took it wordlessly and slipped it on, pulling it around tightly.

"That's pretty hot," He muttered, pushing his hair out of his face and looking at her from under his brow.

She snorted, rolling her eyes. She loved him for trying to lighten the mood but now that everything was said and done, she was terrified. What had happened to her?

He held her gaze for a long time before he turned and started walking back the way they had come. She followed him wordlessly, scared to death that she was going to freak out again. It had came out of nowhere, for no reason at all.

They walked all the way back in silence and she was surprised at how far she had ran. Someone must have been expecting them because the gates opened swiftly. She paused in front of the gates, wringing her hands. The oppressive feelings were coming back. He hadn't noticed she had stopped and when he looked back she was surprised to see a quiet understanding in his eyes. She just realized that the rain had stopped.

He walked back to where she was standing, hesitating, and grabbed her hand, nodding towards the gate. She took one step and was surprised when he didn't drop her hand. For some reason she felt better for it. It was a little easier. It was until Rick stopped in front of them, his eyes hard but still unable to mask the concern. He opened his mouth to speak but Daryl simply stepped around him.

"Not now, Rick," he said in a voice that left no room for argument.

She felt the man's eyes boring into her back but she didn't glance over her shoulder to confirm that he was watching. She felt like everyone was watching. She felt like everyone in town knew what had happened to her, knew she had fled. He still gripped her hand firmly in his own and it surprised her to no end.

She expected him to have something to do. She expected him to leave her at their doorstep and go off on some mission they had lined up for him. What she wasn't expecting was him to walk inside and pull her all the way to her room. Once the door was shut he finally dropped her hand, and his eyes as he rubbed the back of his neck almost nervously.

When he looked up his eyes were guarded and he looked away quickly. "I shouldn't have done that."

She shook her head but he didn't see it. She knew this was coming. For one of two reasons. He either had never wanted to in the first place, which she could easily believe since it hadn't come up between them. Or he was feeling guilty because they'd done it during a moment that she wasn't exactly in her right mind. "Why?" She asked bluntly. "Because you think you had sex with a crazy person?"

His face flamed. "I did have sex with a crazy person."

She looked down at her hands. "Am I losing it?"

He shook his head. "I don't think you're losin' it. You lost it for a bit but I don't think it's a permanent thing. You gonna tell me what the fuck happened?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed, not caring at the moment that she was still soaked to the bone. "I don't know. I was cleaning. I took out one of the rugs and it was raining and after that..." She shrugged. "After that I just felt like I had to get away and then the further away I got the better I felt but not in a good way. I felt unhinged but I didn't care. It was almost like I was watching myself lose control and I couldn't stop it. I didn't want to stop it."

"And now?"

She shook her head, the scent of him rolling off the vest a kind of strange comfort. "Now I'm basically ashamed of myself. Jesus Christ!" She stood back up and turned her back to him.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft but still guarded. She glanced over her shoulder. "You're gonna be alright."

She scoffed. "None of us are ever gonna be alright, Daryl." The silence went on for a long time and she knew before she turned around that he was gone. She took his vest off, rummaging through her drawers for something dry. She was just tired. That was all that was wrong with her. She was tired and it had gotten to her. All of them were on edge most of the time and she would be just fine.

She ignored the fact that him walking out of the room without a word stung a bit but that was just him. As far as what they had done out there, well, she'd wanted it. She'd known he'd wanted the same thing. It wasn't like it changed anything. It was an agreement that things had escalated in that moment and they both craved some sort of physical release.

She changed quickly and then hurried down the stairs. It was getting dark and she had dinner to cook.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

He watched her and he knew that she knew he watched her. He was careful to pay close attention to her movements and day by day he saw the tension coming back into her frame. She smiled. She did her chores. She doted on the kids and she kept that mask in place. No one else noticed because no one else knew her like he knew her. He would have seen it coming a week ago, when she had fled Alexandria, had he known what to look for. Now he knew and he was ready to fix this.

They didn't speak of what had happened in the woods. He felt like the biggest sack of shit in the world for doing what he did. If she hadn't been out of her mind she never would have offered herself up like that and he knew it. He tried to tell himself that at least he had put up an internal battle. At least he had tried to talk himself out of fucking her. Jesus, and that's what he'd done too. She'd been out of her head and he'd pounced as soon as she gave the indication that she'd willingly give it to him.

He shook his head, glancing up at the storm clouds rolling in. He waited for Rick to finally meet his eye.

"How long?" Rick asked, clearly not happy about this.

Daryl shrugged. "Couple of days most likely. A week at most."

"Are you two-"

Daryl interrupted him with a look. "Us two ain't no concern of yours, Rick. I'm lettin' you know what I'm doin' so you ain't gotta wonder, but this ain't your call. It's mine."

"Has she mentioned-"

Daryl shrugged past him, tired of the questions, tired of the curious looks. Apparently him and Carol weren't the only two that noticed him watching her for the past week. He was beyond caring at this point. It was no concern of his what these mother fuckers thought at all. That goddamn woman had been there for every single one of them. She did her part with no question. She stood with her head up and she didn't complain. She was careful in this place, playing a part to protect them all.

And it was tearing her the fuck down.

He remembered the woman from the prison. His friend. He remembered that she hadn't hardened all the way yet. She'd still had a lot of soft in her, and even though she tried to hide it away like it was a fucking blemish on her personality, he knew it was still there. None of them were as strong as they wanted everyone else to think. All of them had a breaking point.

He managed okay because he got out. He didn't have to spend every waking fucking hour of the day pretending to be something he wasn't. He refused. If that made him an outsider here then that was fine. He had been a fucking outsider before. No harm no foul.

He climbed the steps, knowing where she would be since it was about lunch time. Sure enough she was there in the kitchen, getting food ready even though he knew she wouldn't be eating any of it. He already had the car packed. When he walked in she looked up and smiled slightly but looked away quickly.

They didn't ever talk about what had happened but he knew it was hard for her to look him in the eye. Her face flushed crimson every time he was around anymore and their easy banter was gone now. Not that it had been very easy since coming here in the first place.

He wasn't as sure now as he had been while he had packed up the damn car. He knew she wasn't going to agree to this. But he also knew she needed out. She needed a break. So instead of saying anything at all he walked right up to her and grabbed her hand. She looked up, her eyes questioning and a frown forming between her brows. He pulled her from the kitchen and out onto the porch before she finally was able to yank her hand out of his.

"What are you doing?" She asked, sounding more curious than anything.

Just then Michonne walked up, ready to walk past them. He let go of Carol's hand and caught the other woman's arm. Michonne looked at his hand and then met his eyes, seeming annoyed.

"Finish lunch yourself," he grumbled, dropping her arm and grabbing Carol's hand again. He pulled her down the porch steps without a backwards glance.

"Daryl, can you please tell me what-" Her voice trailed off then as the gate opened and he pulled her through with nothing but a nod from Maggie.

Thunder rolled lazily in the distance and he glanced up at the clouds rolling in. He nodded towards the car that he'd loaded up without her even noticing earlier. "We're leavin'."

She blinked and then stared at him for a long time. "What?" She finally asked.

He sighed, looking up again. "We're losin' light. Get in the goddamn car." Couldn't she just fucking do what he said for once?

Her hands went to her hips. "Where are we going?"

"Away," he mumbled, shoving her lightly towards the car and to his surprise she didn't put up any more fight. He was glad too because he didn't want to make a big deal out of it and he was willing to get into a screaming match with her in front of everyone if it came to that.

They were just getting the hell away from Alexandria and all the fucking people for a while. If it would help her then he would have figured out a way to get her ass all the way to the Grand Canyon if he knew that she had a hankering to get there. He didn't want to feel that fear he had felt a week ago when he'd had to chase her down.

She didn't say anything for a while after that. She just looked out the window, like she was okay with whatever the fuck was happening and for some reason that bothered him. He caught her staring at him twice but when he'd glance over she'd look straight ahead. When the first fat drops of rain hit the windshield he turned the car down a long overgrown driveway.

He'd found the place a while ago. He'd stayed here a lot times when he hadn't been able to make it back to Alexandria for whatever reason. Sometimes he stayed here just because he wanted to get away. Actually he did it a lot. Before last week he'd never even thought about bringing anyone out here but the more he had thought about it, the more sense it made.

"What is this?" She asked, sitting up straighter as she took in the area.

He laughed. "Basically, it ain't nothin' but a shack but it's sturdy and everything's boarded up 'cept for them loft windows."

"So you're bringing me out here to show me your place?" She smiled and he could tell it was genuine.

He knew then that he'd been right. That tension was already fading from her shoulders and the troubled look in her eyes was vanishing before his own. He nodded and then blew out an exaggerated breath. "Big step, I know, but I figured it was time."

The sound of her quick laugh had his chest swelling a bit. Yeah, this was one of the best goddamn ideas he'd ever had.

"When do we have to go back? You have a job to do back there and I need to get back so I can-"

"Shut up," he muttered, opening the door and stepping out.

She got out after him, coming around to the trunk and staring down at the bags he'd stashed there, along with some canned food and two rifles. She kept glancing around at the wooded yard instead of hauling ass to get out of the rain. This didn't surprise him either. He hadn't known that she had that longing to escape like he'd had since the moment they had stepped behind those walls. He'd been planning this trip since he'd found her in the woods.

He grabbed her shirt sleeve on his way past and hauled her all the way through the door without stopping.

"What if a herd comes through?" She asked as he lit one of the lanterns.

"What if you would just quit actin' like I'm some kinda green horn that ain't smart enough to keep us alive," he said, raising a brow.

Hands on her hips she narrowed her eyes at him. This was a good thing. He could deal with this easy. "How about you stop acting like an ass and answer my questions."

He leaned his hip into the long table pressed against the wall. "Alright. You wanna know how long we're stayin'?"

She nodded.

"A week."

She opened her mouth to argue but he cut her off with a look.

"You want to know what we do if a herd comes through? We go under."

"Under?"

"Tunnel. I think this place used to be used to run liquor back in the day. Ended up becomin' just a hunting shack but the tunnel is still there. It's a spring that lets out close to where I parked. You done askin' questions now?"

She glanced around. "I don't even have any clothes."

He picked up one of the bags from the table and tossed it to her. "Trust me, you needed new ones anyhow. I ain't sittin' here for a goddamn week lookin' at your flower printed shirts."

"Food?"

"What I didn't pack I'll hunt."

"Water?" She waved her hand at him, "Never mind. Spring. Right."

"What else?"

She chewed on her lip. "This is your space. You don't have to bring me out here. It's hard but I'm okay. You worry that I'll... do what I did before but I won't."

"You think I'd have driven you all the way out here if I didn't want you here?" He gave her a skeptical look.

She finally sighed and the last of that tension disappeared. "You know, I give it two hours before you get bored and just my presence starts to get on your nerves."

He chuckled. "You ain't got a whole lotta faith in your ability to keep a man occupied, do you?"

She looked up sharply and he realized how that had sounded. Jesus. It was too fucking obvious that what happened out there wasn't going to be repeated. She hadn't brought it up. She'd been so goddamn ashamed of herself that she hadn't been able to look at him for days. "You brought me out here to fool around?" She deadpanned.

He shook his head but before he could say a word she was laughing again. That was the second real laugh he'd heard from her since they left. He was standing there red faced and sputtering and she was shifting right back into that role she had taken on at the prison. His own personal tormentor.

She shrugged. "It is romantic. I didn't know you had it in you honestly."

He snorted, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. He scowled at the twin sized bed and then he jumped when he felt her hand on his arm. He looked down sharply, ready for another round of her favorite game. Pick at the fuming Dixon.

Instead her eyes were actually misty and her expression was serious. "Thank you," she said in a breathy voice and the emotion in the words brought him up short. "I think maybe I needed this."

He gave her a quick nod and dropped his arms.

"You think I'm a mess?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I think if I was stuck back there like you were, I'd have snapped too. 'course I woulda probably kept my clothes on and there wouldn't have been any seducing goin' on, but it would have happened."

He could see the flush in her cheeks and she surprised him by dropping her forehead to his chest. He had the overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her but he didn't.

"I can't believe I did that," she said miserably.

He sighed, glanced up at the ceiling and then gathered up his courage to ask her the question that he'd been wanting to ask her for days. "You regret it?"

She looked up then but he wasn't looking at her. He was staring off at the wall behind her because if there were any accusations in her eyes he didn't want to see them.

"No, I don't," she said firmly.

He glanced down, his eyes finally meeting hers and decided to just go for it then. Good idea or not, he'd be a fucking liar if he said he hadn't wanted this. All week he had wanted this. When he kissed her it was different from that first time. Of course it was. That first time she'd split his goddamn lip open. He was actually pleasantly surprised how soft her lips were. Last time things had been hard and demanding.

Somehow, without breaking the kiss at all, a kiss that had his head completely consumed, they ended up on the bed, a tangle of naked limbs entwined, hands slow and roaming. She was draped over half of him and he hissed when her nails dug into his ribs, dragging over his stomach. He wondered idly how this could be so goddamn different than the time before it but he didn't voice the question.

He was sure he knew the answer anyway. Because this time he was actually with _her_ and not some scared desperate woman seeking something from him. This was Carol. And even though the last time had been physically better than any he had had before, it wasn't any different than anything he'd done with any bitch he'd never given half a damn about. Even though he had given a damn, it was still just two people going at it with just one thing in mind.

This wasn't like that at all. This wasn't like anything he'd ever done. The anticipation was there. The knowing that there was going to be a plethora of gratification of a physical sense was something that had crossed his mind since they'd made it to the bed. But it was all the other shit that had his head reeling. Her lips paid close attention to every scar on his torso, and he didn't mind it. Hell, he fucking liked it. He took the same liberty with hers and he was actually surprised at the number of old marks on her body. Reminders of a harsher man than he could ever be with her.

She was moving further down but there was no way he was letting her do that. If she did then he wasn't going to stop her and then the whole damn thing would be over and he had every intention of doing this right this time. He hadn't been sure they'd be doing this at all but he'd be damned if he blew it, literally, before it even got started.

Hauling her back up after her lips pressed against his hip bone was almost painful. From the meager light coming from the lantern across the room he could see the grin on her face and that familiar fire in her eyes. He sat up quickly, adjusting her over his lap so her legs were wrapped around him. The position was unfamiliar but it left no space at all between them and, strangely enough, he felt as though he needed it that way.

When he pushed into her, much more carefully than that first time, her breath rushed out of her, ghosting over his neck. He clenched his teeth and tightened his hold on her, pausing briefly when he was seated deep inside of her. The angle was different and she took every inch of him greedily. The fit was snug but she was wet enough that it didn't make it difficult. Once they found a rhythm the friction became agonizing for him. The subtle sounds of pleasure that escaped her made it easier for him to bite his lip and fight the urge to slam into her until he was spent.

~H~

The first three days spent in the shack was mostly just a blur for her. For three days she barely registered that there was a world outside of that small bed. She was drunk on a potent cocktail of touch and taste and raw sensation that she had never experienced before and probably never would again, though she would spend the rest of her life chasing this strange high.

When they slept it was the kind of deep sleep that neither had experienced in this world or the one before it. When they were awake it was almost like still sleeping, just a dreamlike state of movement. She was vaguely aware of the rain in the background but most of her focus was on the texture of his hands that never seemed to get enough of her.

They did little in the way of eating but he was smart, and aware enough, to make sure they at least stayed hydrated. When he had first brought her here she had been afraid that he would get sick of her constant company, since he was a lone wolf type, but that shouldn't have been a concern.

"I need food," he muttered into her neck on the morning of the third day.

She opened her eyes and blinked the sleep away. Her mouth felt strange and then she realized it was probably because she was smiling. Her back was pressed against his chest and she had no idea where their clothes had gone, or recall if either of them had dressed at all since the day they had taken them off. "Me too," she muttered, shifting further into him. "And a shower. Shouldn't have wasted all that rain."

He groaned, rolling over onto his back and she quickly followed suit. "Jesus Christ," he complained, stretching and causing the thin sheet that covered them to slip low enough around his hips to cause her mouth to water.

She quickly looked away but not before he caught the look. She felt him eying her and she finally glanced over. He had one eyebrow raised. "What?"

He sat up, swiping a hand over his face and leaning over her to grab the bottle of water on the floor next to the bed. He drank most of it down before handing it to her sheepishly. She took it, drinking down the rest. "You ready to go back?"

Her head hit the pillow, frowning. "If you are," she lied.

He crawled over her then and she could tell that getting out of bed was actually what he was trying to do but as soon as he was hovering over her, he dropped down, her thighs cradling his hips. His head hit her chest. "Guess you're stuck here then. I told Rick a week at most. Gives us four more days."

"And if you aren't ready to go back in four more days?" She asked, threading her fingers through his hair.

He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. "We're here cause you needed to get the fuck away from all that. Get your damn head back on straight. If that takes a month then Rick will just have to get over it."

She bit her lip and stared up at the ceiling. He was right. He had done the right thing bringing her here because she had needed it. She felt like herself again. She didn't feel like she were on a stage and she didn't feel like she was always on watch, just waiting for the people she loved to die. "Four more days. We'll go back in four more days."

He nodded and then his lips were on hers. Food was once again forgotten for a while.

~H~

He parked the car and sat there with his hands on the wheel, staring at the walls. Walls that seemed more equipped to lock them inside than they were to keep out the dangers of the world around them. He knew she was ready to come back but he was finding it harder for himself.

He realized then that one of the things that always brought him back to this place was sitting next to him. He didn't have to go back. It wouldn't be hard to convince her to leave with him. Hell, things would be easier with just the two of them.

Sure, he cared about the others, but he didn't love them like he loved her and he didn't really think they had a big enough hold on him to keep him here if she looked at him right now and told him that she couldn't do it. If she told him to turn the car around then he would without a backwards glance.

"Back to the real world, Dixon. Honeymoon's over," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

He nodded swiftly and watched the gates opening. He glanced at her, catching her watching him curiously. He was going to miss the fuck out of that little shack. It had been one hell of a fucking adventure. He felt like a little kid that just finished exploring all the secret places of the world that he'd never even known existed. And here, that excitement and mystery were fading.

There were a lot of stares. They hadn't came back in the agreed four days. They'd stayed for two weeks. They had spent that first week in the fucking shack and he hadn't ever known exactly how much a man and woman could actually accomplish with their bodies with enough time and enough imagination. He didn't feel like a man pushing fifty. He felt a like a fucking fifteen year old that just now figured out what a hard on was actually suppose to be used for.

The thought had his face flaming and he looked over sharply when he heard her laugh. She bit her lip but there was nothing she could do to hide the grin. Her eyes were clear and the woman he'd spent the last two weeks with was the same woman from the prison. "Somethin' funny?" He asked dryly.

She shrugged. "You just kind of look like a boy that's been up to something dirty and now has to face his parents. It isn't like anybody knows what we've been doing out there." They stopped outside of the house they shared with Rick and Michonne and the kids but neither made a move to go inside just yet.

He glanced at the house and then back to her. "I need to go find Aaron and figure some shit out."

She nodded but didn't seem bothered in the least. "That's probably a good idea."

"You gonna be alright?" He still wasn't sure if bringing her back here was a good idea but he hadn't known what else to do since she didn't bring up staying in the shack for the rest of their lives like a couple of over sexed hermits.

She nodded and the smile on her face had her eyes brightening. "I am."

"When do you wanna go back?" He asked, just out of curiosity.

"A week. I think a week is good."

He grinned, relieved. "A week then."

"You know it isn't gonna work, Daryl," she said, just as he turned to walk away.

He turned back to face her. "What?"

She bit her lip and looked up at him from under her lashes. "You can't stay away from me for a week while we're here. I bet the whole town is gonna know that you've fallen completely on your ass for the meek little housewife." She laughed.

He glared at her, knowing people were watching. He stepped into her then, letting the bow drop to the ground and kissed her hard. He didn't give a good goddamn if the whole place knew he'd fallen on his ass for the meek little housewife. Especially since he knew who she really was. She had a lot more in common with him than he'd ever thought before. She had a need to be free, wild, uninhibited and when you caged her she acted on the urge to flee. He got it. He understood her now. He understood her anxiety that fateful day in the woods. And that part of her called to him.

It had shown itself before but only a little. Fear of tight spaces. Claustrophobia. But as that wildness inside of her grew, so did her need to escape. He felt it. Had always felt it but it was something new to her and he'd help her understand it.

When he pulled away he grabbed his bow and stormed off without a word. He didn't miss the small smile on Rick and the others faces as he walked past, though.


End file.
